Out of the belly of Hell cryed I Chap. 2.2 Then vers 4. I said I am cast out of thy sight Oh that God rather than lose them would so pursue ours and fetch them home before past recouery O that themselue would fore-apprehend the bitternesse of outward crosses specially of sickenesse when these refuges will proue but a lye vnto them Oh that they would consider how conscience will then board them and present to them the sin-reuenging wrath of God enough to make the heauens to melt and the earth to tremble Ah poore dying man whose life doth hang before him stayes it It s with that intolerable companion a wounded spirit departs it t is into the insufâ—erable and vnquencheable flames of hell But whereto tends this to driue to desperation Nay but to God Whither should the aâ—â—righted child goe but to his Father Whither the tyred but to him that can refresh him the wounded but to the Chirurgeon A people but to theiâ— God To whom shall wee goe say the Disciples by Peters mouth thou hast the words of eternall life To Christ then to Christ and by him vnto the Father who saith I am the way the truth and the life no man commeth to the Father but by me And againe Neither knoweth any man the Father but the Son and he to whomsoeuer the Son will reueale him Where to finde comfort in distresse ye know the way ye know When Noahs Doue found no rest for the sole of her foot she returned into the Arke vnto him againe so let vs returne vnto God againe out of whom no rest can be found no not for the sole of our foot The Law was that if a man found his enemies Oxe or Asse going aâ—tray he should returne it home to the owner sure I am we owe no lesse to our own soules when they go astray from God Let vs therefore send them homewards with Dauids direction Returne to thy rest O my soule Thus haue we opened the fountaine of Pauls consolation next you shall see how he doth assure it I know whom I haue beleeued and I am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him id est intrusted him withall When a foundation is laid in a proportion Geometricall they build and the more weight is laid on the foundation the firmer so where God is the foundation settle thy building vpon him intrust thy selfe and whatsoeuer thou art with him and be sure For They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion which cannot be remoued but abideth for euer The meanes to secure our felicity is to intrust our selues and our causes with him For he is both Able to keepe all and it may stand him vpon First He is Able for nothing is hard to the Almighty He is able by his absolute power of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham To mix all things and to bring them backe to their former Chaos And what else not And by his Actuall power he can cast Satan from heauen like lightning can deliuer him into the chaines of darkenesse can rescue out of his Kingdome whom he will can keepe them being so deliuered vnto Saluation That then which is committed vnto him doth not perish because the euerlasting Arme is vnderneath Him wilt thou keepe in perfect peace saith Isaiah whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Trust ye in the Lord for euer for in the Lord Iehovah is euerlasting strength And secondly in a sort it stands his Maiesty vpon to doe for them that depend vpon him else what shall bee done to his great Name how will the enemy insult the godly hang downe the head or how will any be bold to cast themselues on him in aftertimes In their pressures therefore they may resolue with Dauid Our heart shall reioyce in him because we haue trusted in his holy Name Psal. 33.21 Wouldest thou then O Christian man finde sanctuary in a storme and a City of refuge against the pursuer when other mens hearts doe faint would thine be stable when the spirit of other men can scarce beare their owne infirmity would thine finde helpe against the wound of spirit when not ciuill honesty not good intentions not formall prosession nor the bare name of Christian can steed thee wouldest thou then want wherewith to foile and fell thine enemy when thou art to dye wouldest thou bid defiance to death and hell In a word when the heauens shall be on fire about thine eares wouldest thou be able to looke vpon the Sonne of man Let the Lord be thy relyance and the most High thy confidence gather thy selfe vnder his wings and trust vnder the shadow of feathers bewaile thine vnaptnesse to beleeue on him confesse thine aptnesse to leane on lying vanities and stirre vp thy soule to rely on heauen Doe we call Acts and Deeds of men security and shall we not trust that which God hath sealed and deliuered vnto vs children rely wholly on their parents and shall not we rely wholy on our heauenly Father Neuer man yet trusted in God and was disappointed and shall we now be forsaken If Iehosaphats people will beleeue in the Lord they shall be established if beleeue his Prophets they shall prosper If we be not wanting to our selues wee shall not want any thing necessary If thou canst beleeue saith our Sauiour to that man in the Gospell all things are possible to him that beleeueth dependance on God is better than all worldly confidences And better is it than Sauls Armour to be able to affront an enemy as Dauid did Goliah saying I come to thee in the Name of the Lord of Hosts the God of the Armies of Israel For that armeth with Power inuincible able to preserue and with Power vnchangeable able to preserue for euer for this cause our Apostle is bold and saith He is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that Day Where of the last Day in the last place Now in that he doth so slight his sufferings and the shame of them for his expectation at the day of Iudgement he learneth vs That it doth much concerne a man to prouide that it may go well with him at that Day Let the fire saith Ignatius that holy Martyr vnder Traian in his Epistle to Rome the gallowes deuouring of wild beasts breaking of bones pulling asunder of my members the pressing of my whole body the torment of the Deuill or hell it selfe come vpon me so that I may winne Christ Iesus Winne Christ Iesus What 's that This is that and no other for which our Saint Paul suffered the losse of all things and did count them but dung that he might winne Christ Philip. 3.8 But what may that be Reade the 11. and 12. verses and you shall heare himselfe That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the
a place of celestiall pleasure and celestiall plenty plenty that neuer faileth and pleasures for euer-more And thus haue you our Meditations on the Text. A word more of this present occasion we haue done When I was appointed by this right Reuerend and Honorable Prelate to this seruice I found him declining any Encomium of his pr aises for well knew he what Austin hath and what hath Augustine or any of the Fathers that he knew not That the soule receiued among the blessed regardeth not the commendations of men Imitationem tantùm quaerit it liketh their imitation better But as the Elders of the Iewes to Christ in another case on the Centurions behalfe He is worthy thou shouldest doe this for him for he hath loued our Nation and built vs a Synagogue he is worthy to be remembred of vs for he loued our Nation id est vs Ministers and he furnished your Synagogues your Churches with the plentifull preaching of the Gospell The same which moued Israel so honourably to interre that good high Priest Iehoiada is our cause this day For he did good in Israel both towards God and towards his house Ye daughters of Israel weepe ouer him who clothed you in scarlet with other delights and put on ornaments of gold vpon your apparell Two singular ornaments crowned him which seldome meete in one man Learning and Humility Learning the ornament of his mind and humility the ornament of his learning Iulius secundus studying long for an Exordium to his matter was asked by Iulius Florus Nunquid tu melius dicere vis quà m potes I haue matter if I must fit it with speech I must speake better than in this cantle of time I can speake Therefore lest I should Frigidè laudare which Fauorinus liketh not I le giue it you in grosse considering his much reading with the happinesse of his memory how well acquainted with Histories Ecclesiasticall and profane with the Iewish Rabbins and the Christian Doctors with Diuines ancient and moderne with Fathers Greeke and Latin how perfect in the Greeke the Hebrew the Chaldee the Syriacke and the Arabicke tongues I am bold to affirme that there are few so learned men vnder heauen One monument of his learning haue we for which the age now doth and the children vnborne shall blesse his memory That he began with others but finished alone with one of the greatest and most learned Bishops of the Church of England set forth the new and most exact translation of the Bible wherein as it was said of Ierome for translating the Septuagint into the Dalmatian tongue he deliuered the Scriptures suae linguae hominibus to Englishmen in English The sole merit of which worke preferred him to this place of gouernment in the Church For with Basilius Magnus Non ex maioribus sed ex propria virtute Nobilitatem duxit He eennobled himselfe with his owne worth and vertue And touching his Humility as it was said of Piso so more truely of him Nemo fuit qui magis quae agenda erant curaret sine vlla ostentatione agendi No man did more good than he with lesser shew of ostentation How he decked himselfe inwardly with lowlinesse of minde and did put himselfe vnderneath himselfe euery one that knew him knew On a time and many such I could tell you a poore Minister sending in to speake with him abruptly he brake off a most serious discourse saying But the Minister must not stay lest we should seeme to take state vpon vs. Therein imitating that great and inuincible Supporter of the Faith of one Substance Athanasius of whom Nazianzene writeth that being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 growne to a super excellent height of vertue yet was he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easie of accesse and facile to entertaine the poore mans suit When in his sickenesse one hoped for his recouery he gaue the answer that Saint Ambrose gaue to the Nobles of Millaine that desired him to pray for life Non ita inter vos vixi vt pudeat me viuere nec timeo mori quoniam Dominum bonum habemus I haue not so liued among you that I am ashamed to liue neither am I afraid to dye because our Lord is good How he perseuered in the truth you shall heare Some few dayes before his death in the presence of a worthy and truely Noble Knight I heard him discourse sweetly of the Certainty of Saluation and of Perseuerance in Grace comfortable truths so much opposed by Papists Arminians and carnall Gospellers And in conclusion he did affirme That he which holds the Protestants doctrine and faith herein hath built his house vpon the Rocke and the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against him Not many houres before his departure for as Ambrose of Acholius non obijt sed abijt I found him as mee seemed victorious vpon some conflict and Quis Sanctorum sine certamine coronatur What Saint was euer crowned but vpon a combat saith Saint Ierome I drew neere his bed he reached for my hand and greezed it and now you see the cause of my choise saying I know whom I haue beleeued and I am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that Day This occasioned some thing concerning relyance vpon God by Faith yea said he I had fainted vnlesse I had beleeued to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the liuing Mention being further made of Faith and Hope and of their obiect But saith he againe in Dauids words The mercies of the Lord are from generation to generation on them that feare him Mercy brought in thoughts of Christ oh saith he in the words of that holy Martyr None but Christ None but Christ. Being told how preciously the Lord esteemeth the death of such he replyed Right deare Right deare in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Some prayers made for him vpon his desire at conclusion he said Amen I thanke God Amen enough enough Amen I thanke God They write of Lanfrancus sometime Archbishop of Canturbury that he often prayed and obtained to dye such a death that neither hindered speech nor memory this blessing God afforded our Reuerend Bishop for as I am certified by one most deare to him and worthy to be beleeued when he was leauing this life he looked on her and on the rest of his children in the chamber present and said Christ blesse you all And like that old Patriarke Iacob he moued himselfe vpon the bed and cryed Christ Iesus helpe and so Christ tooke him and conclamatum est His soule is now at rest his name is among the Worthies of the Church his estate is with his children and now are we to returne his body to the dust from whence it was taken The best fruits shew their goodnesse when they haue lyen let him lie a while and mellow let vs
vigorousnesse in his extreme old age that he confesseth that hee was as lusty at eighty fiue yeeres of age as he was at forty and as sufficient for managing matters of warre or matters of peace as you may see Ioshuah 14. Thus there is a reward with the Lord and a speciall reward for them that cleaue fast vnto the Lord and doe sanctifie him both in their hearts and in their tongues as Peter doth in my Text and will not be carryed away by the example of the multitude to thinke or say as they doe But on the contrary side you know in the Psalme they are condemned who seeing a Thiefe runne with him and are partakers with the Adulterers Yea Saul though he threw neuer a stone at Saint Stephen yet because he kept the clothes of them that stoned him he may be reckoned among the persecutors Yea Moses himselfe that Saint of the Lord at other times so zealous so faithfull so couragious yet because at the waters of Meribah he did not sanctifie the Lord and rebuke the people for their rebellion with that edge and resolution as he ought to haue done is told plainely by God himselfe that he should not enter into the Land of Promise see it he should but put his foote in it he should not See the 20. Chapter of Numbers and the 32. of Deuteronomy Let vs consider of these things Beloued It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God It is a dangerous thing to deale remissely in his businesse who is jealous of his seruice and requireth the whole man If this were done to Moses a greene Tree what shall be done to a dry And if Moses were condemned because he was not so hot as he should haue beene doe they thinke to escape that are key-cold This I say because some thinke that they make Religion beholding to them and God their debtor for euer if they doe not fall away from it as well as others and if they doe not openly blaspheme and raile vpon it though in the meane time they speake neuer a word for it But as God said to Moses I will make thee a greater Nation and a mightier then these though all these should be brought to nought And as Christ said in the Gospell I tell you the truth that if these hold their peace the stones shall speake So we may write vpon it that God is both able and willing to defend his Truth howsoeuer many shall agree to betray it and rather then he will leaue it vnmaintained he will open the mouthes of the dumbe and the children that are yet vnborne shall praise the Lord. In the meane time as it is said in Genesis The Nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I iudge saith God And in the Gospell Woe be to that man by whom offences shall come and especially Woe be to the man by whom the Sonne of man shall be betrayed So let these men-pleasers and place-pleasers know that as they are ashamed to confesse Christ before men so he will not be pleased to confesse them before his Father which is in heauen Gordius the Martyr was of that minde for being exhorted by a friend of his to keepe his conscience to himselfe and not to professe it made answer as Basil writeth that the Truth is not onely betrayed of them that doe plainely forsake it but of them also that will not publikely confesse it Fulgentius was of the same minde Nec immeritò talis seruus abijcitur punitur c. Such a seruant saith he is worthily reiected and punished because by one and the same silence he establisheth error who being forestalled by error or time doth not by meanes of his silence vouch and maintaine the Truth Euen as further saith he he that doth not establish Gods glory doth euacuate it and he that doth not refute and ward the blow of dishonour from God doth no lesse then heape it vpon him Why my Brethren our cause is good it is Gods we haue proued it so to be in hundreds of discourses the times are fauourable we haue the Bride-groome with vs why then should any mans heart faile him ô verè Phrygiae neque enim Phryges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They that be in pace Cerui I inuert Tertullians words will they be in praelio Leones will they be as valiant as the Lyon in the day of battell when the wicked compasse them about at their heeles and draw them before Rulers yea and peraduenture to a fiery tryall that shew themselues as fearefull as the Deere in the dayes of peace in Alcyon dayes They feare where no feare is saith the Psalmist the shadow of the mountaines maketh these to feare saith one in the booke of Iudges By the Art of dissembling many thinke they haue great aduantage The Protestant taketh them for theirs for their comming to Church The Romanist theirs because they speake neuer a word against them so they gaine on both sides Wherefore if they should be any thing busie so they call sincere dealing then they should leese such a Gentlemans custome and such a Gentlewomans fauour c. Thus the loue of man casteth out the loue of God and the feare of man casteth out the feare of God But where is Elias euen he himselfe said Elizeus Where is Brutus I would thou wert aliue Brutus it was once written vnder his statue We may say Where is Peter and his spirit He confesseth in my Text and denieth not but saith plainely that there was none worth the looking after but Christ nor no Doctrine worth the harkening after but his It was a great blot to Osius of Corduba his reputation that had beene a faithfull Confessor in the dayes of persecution that following the sway he was seene to be present and an abettor in the Conuenticles of the Arrians and so those other Bishops did themselues most hurt that deserued the imputation of Nazianzen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All sauing a few followed the time On the other side Paphnutius is much renowned in Story for withstanding the greatest part of the Councell of Nice in a cause of truth wherein he also preuailed And so in these last perilous times Vergerius the Italian and Dalthius the Hungarian and Fricius the Polonian excellent learned men and great Statists and two of them Orators from great Princes deserued no lesse honour though they had not so good successe for Trent Conuenticle would not be like Nice Councell in manfufully proposing and defending many points of Christian Religion euen as they are taught and vrged by vs. They learned it of the Prophet I will speake of thy testimonies before Kings and will not be ashamed Or of Saint Peter in my Text who answered boldly and cared not who heard him that Christ was to be followed and he onely Let vs also Beloued be followers of Saint Peter in this point and let this be our first note or lesson To be
come in Christs Vicars name so he calleth himselfe and would be called by others but indeed he is an Aduersary and you will receiue them and aduenture your neckes for them And wee come in Christs name with his message and reconcilement vnto God whom you haue offended without any working of you to offend the State and will you refuse vs Shall they be welcome with their Traditions that is with their Tales and we odious with the Gospell which was preached vnto you which ye also receiued and which you must returne to if you meane to be saued What is strong illusion what is the working of Satan what is the power of darkenesse if this be not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. You forsake the right and straight way and goe that which is full of thornes and stakes what arrogancy and phrensie are you possessed with saith Clemens Alexandrinus out of Sibylla So Cyprian Christ promiseth euerlasting life if we will follow him and he is forsaken The Deuill promiseth Gu-gawes and lyeth too in his promise and he is adored O foedam defectionem ô iniquam permutationem O filthy defection O absurd exchange saith Cyprian The like may we say to those bewitched Countrey-men of ours that preferre Rome before Sion and the doctrine thereof before the liuely Oracles of God that like children or women that haue the disease called Pica preferre Lime or dirt before white bread yea like vnwise Marchants glasse before pearle lead before gold cotton before silke that is error before truth Belial before Christ Baal before Iehouah more particularly ignorance before knowledge dumbe Images before effectuall Teachers Saints before Christ doubtfulnesse before Faith seruile feare before filiall loue horror of conscience before tranquillity of spirit There is no peace to the wicked saith the Lord. And truely there is no rest to the soule in Popery What rest can there be when they make Saints mediation the onely anker of their hope mens books the foundation of their faith mans Absolution the remission of their guilt here and mens pardons the relaxation of their punishment hence This they doe an hundred things as bad in Popery therefore it is impossible that they should be at peace with God or haue peace within themselues that thus make flesh their arme and in their heart depart from God And therfore if you desire to find rest for your soules or to haue your Election saluation made sure vnto you you must haue nothing to do with the vnfruitfull vncoÌ„fortable opinions of Popery but rather abhor them reproue them The Lord in mercy vouchsafe to bring them home that goe astray to confirme them that stand to grant vs true peace true rest through Iesus Christ our blessed Sauiour To whom with the Father the holy Ghost be praise thankesgiuing for euer and euer Amen Amen A SERMON VPON THE FIRST OF PETER THE NINTH SERMON 1. PETER 5. verse 6. Humble your selues therefore vnder the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time THE word therefore hath reference to that which went before namely to the last words of the former verse God resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble and inferreth strongly vpon the force of them For if God resisteth the proud if contrariwise he giueth grace to the humble then there is no cause in the world why any man should be proud and there is great cause why euery one should be humble For doe wee prouoke the Lord are we stronger then he If we walke crosse against God or hardly stifly the Chaldee hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hardly he will walke so against vs. It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God Iacob I grant wrastled with God preuailed but how he did not make head against God neither did he thinke himselfe an equall match for God by no meanes but God vouchsafing to take him vp in his armes and bearing him in his armes that he should not dash his foot against a stone he might doe all things by him that strengthned him he might swimme easily the Lord holding him vp by the chin he might fight valiantly the Lord teaching his hands to warre and his fingers to fight But tell me how they sped against whom God bent himselfe Pharaoh and his Hoast whom the Lord looked vpon out of the fiery and cloudy Pillar for euill and not for good were they not drowned in the red Sea Those stiffe-necked and rebellious Israelites which prouoked the Lord ten times that is many and many a time against whom the Lord swore in his wrath If they shall enter into my rest that is Neuer beleeue me if they enter did not their carkasses fall in the Wildernesse and were they not vtterly consumed there till not one of them was left This before they came into the Land of promise When they were there did not the Lord take the Kingdome from Saul and his Stocke because he was angry with him and gaue it to Dauid From Dauids sonne Salomon because of his Idolatry did he not rend the Kingdome and câ—nferre tenne parts thereof vpon Ieroboam From Ieroboams Line yea from all the Kings of Israel succeeding him and caused them to be carryed away captiues into Assyria There remained the Tribes of Iudah and Beniamin for a while in honorable estate but when these also defied the Lord and prouoked the Holy one of Israel when they said that they should be deliuered because of the righteousnesse of their Fathers and the holinesse of the Temple though they hated to be reformed and had cast Gods Commandements behind them Then did the Lord cast Iudah out of his sight as he had done Israel he plowed Sion as a field as he had done Samaria he made Hierusalem the beloued City in former times which also hee called a greene Oliue-tree faire and of goodly fruite a breeding of Nettles and Salt pits and a perpetuall desolation For it is a righteous thing with God as to shew mercy to them that feare him and stoupe vnto him so also to render tribulation and anguish and shame and confusion to euery one that exalteth himselfe before him to the Iewe first and also to the Greeke Lysander a great man in Lacedemon and one that had deserued well of King Agesilaus being disgraced many wayes and suffering many indignities by the Kings conniuence falleth into expostulation with the King because he suffered him so to be contemned and abused To whom the King made answer So they deserue to be vsed that take so much vpon them as thou doest and will not reuerence and awe the King Precedent merits and good seruice will not tie Princes of a gâ—nerous spirit to such subiects of theirs as shew themselues ouer-lusty and crancke with them And can we thinke that God who is of pure eyes and incomprehensiâ—le Maiesty to whom the greatest men are as nothing and the
They talke in fabulous Stories such as Wittikindus and Gregorie Turonensis are that such a City could not be taken because the body of Saint Author lay there such an one could not be taken because the body of Saint Ambrose lay there such could not be taken because such Saints and such Saints prayed for them Strong illusions of Satan or rather grosse and palpable credulities in men of a degenerous mind that had sold themselues to belieue lyes The truth is the prayer of a righteous man can doe much with God if it be feruent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if it be operatiue or haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an efficacy in it But the Apostle speaketh of the righteous that are liuing not that are departed as is apparant in the Text As also Eusebius did when he said that a righteous prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such a thing as there is no fighting or standing against It is such a thing indeed when it is offered by a faithfull people for a faithfull Prince It pierceth the heauens and thrusteth into the Throne of grace and will not be repelled till it hath obtained at Gods hands both the safety of the Prince and the reuenge of the Elect. Prayer therefore is the best guard that we can yeeld vnto our King and piety is the best Armour that his Maiestie can put on Other habiliments munitions and policies haue their place and are profitable for somewhat but godlinesse is profitable for all things hauing the promise of this life and of that which is to come Be wise now therefore O Kings and Princes serue the Lord in feare and reioyce before him in trembling kisse the Sonne lest he be angry and kisse the Sonne and he will be well pleased but kisse him with the lippes of your heart wiâ—h faith and with loue Be pi usly wise and wisely pious in Colendo sapere debemus in sapiendo colere as saith Lactantius So shall the King haue pleasure in your beauty for he is your Lord God and you must worship him So shall he giue his Angels charge ouer you to keepe you in all his wayes So shall he blesse your going forth and your being forth your comming home and your being at home yea the Lord shall so blesse you that you shall multiply your yeeres vpon earth and see your childrens children and peace in Hierusalem and ioy vpon Sion all your life long which God the Father grant for his Sonne Christs sake to whom with the holy Ghost be all honour and glory Amen A SERMON VPON THE FIRST TO THE HEBREVVES THE ELEVENTH SERMON HEBREVVES 1. verse 1 c. God who at sundry times and in diuers maners spake in times past vnto the Fathers by the Prophets Arab. Gnalei alshan that is by the tongue of the Prophets 2. Hath in these last dayes spoken to vs by his Sonne whom he hath appointed heire of all things by whom also hee made the worlds 3. Who being the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse Image of his Person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and vpholding all things by the Word of his power Syr. Bechaila Demelletheh that is by the power of his Word when he had by himselfe purged our sinnes sate downe on the right hand of the Maiestie on high c. AMong all the passages and portions of Scripture which yeeld fit matter of discourse and which doe not euen from the beginning of Genesis to the latter end of the Reuelation there is none in my iudgement that affordeth greater store either of heauenly doctrine or of spirituall comfort than this doth that I haue in hand For when the ,Apostle saith that God hath reuealed himselfe vnto vs in his Sonne and that he appointed his Sonne heire of all things and that his Sonne is such an one for power for person for nature for glory what a floud or rather Sea of Diuinity doth it containe Againe when he tells vs that the Sonne of God hath ,purged our sinnes by himselfe and is sate downe on the right hand of the Maiestie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is that hee is aduanced on high and is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto him what hope are we to conceiue thereby yea strong confidence yea vndauntable consolation that we cannot want whilest our Sauiour hath it and cannot be lost whilest he liueth and raigneth The Prophet Ezekiel and Saint Iohn in the Reuelation speake of a tree the fruit whereof is for meate and the leaues for medicine So Nauigators tell vs and many that be aliue haue seene it with their eyes and felt it with their hands and with their mouthes haue tasted of the excellency of the tree that beareth the Nutmeg the barke the huske the filme the fruite all aromaticall all good for the Braines or for the Stomacke or both So the Pomegranate is a very extraordinary fruite the hard rinde being dryed is medicinable many wayes as for the iuice and kernels they are not onely wholesome but also delightsome yet for all that it is obserued and the Iewes vse it for a Prouerbe amongst them that There is no Pomegranate so sound but it hath some rotten kernels in it fewer or more and we also vse to say Euery Beane hath his blacke And Plutarch reporteth it to haue beene the speech of Simonides that as euery Larke hath his tuft so euery man hath his imperfection Now it is not so in the Word of God euery part of it is Homogenâ—ous euery part like it selfe as being deliuered by one Spirit and leuelled by one rule You know what is deliuered by the Prophet All the words of the Lord are pure words as the siluer that is tryed in a fornace of earth and fined seuen-fold and by Saint Paul that the Law euen the Law is holy and the Commandement holy and iust and good But as it is a fault in the building of a City to make the gate vaster than for the proportion of the Perimeter or compasse thereof Shut your gate said a Philosopher to the men of Mindas lest your Towne runne out at it so long Preâ—aces in a small scant of time and a great field being to be surueyed are very vnseasonable to speake the least It was said of long time by Callimachus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a great book is as bad as a great deale of euill the like is to be said of a long tedious Preface For our Text it containeth at once two seuerall declarations the one of the excellency of the Gospell aboue the Law from the beginning of the first verse to the middle of the second The second declaration is of the excellency or rather superexcellency of our Sauiour aboue Moses and the Prophets yea aboue euery name that is named both in heauen and in earth from the middle of the second verse to the latter end of the third where my Text endeth so